Monster or imagination, Bigfoot still stirs mind
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on June 5th, 2007
Jeff Pinsker, owner of the Tollgate Resort in Tollgate, measures a reported Bigfoot print at about 16 inches long. Photo by Phil Wright of the East Oregonian.
Jeff Pinsker is a big man, about 6-feet tall and weighing close to 250 pounds. Even so, the Tollgate Resort owner’s size 12s fall far short of the plaster casts of large footprints set along the entrance into the dining area. The casts cover a wide range of years and vary in size and shape, but all are big.
Casts that may show the footprints of Bigfoot, the legendary, or purely imaginative, large, powerful bipedal ape-man creature about 8 feet tall and covered in dark hair that may or may not inhabit forests and wilderness areas across North America.
Whether or not such a thing exists, of course, is the subject of debate in some circles. But that’s not something Pinsker engages in. He seems practical about the matter. He doesn’t divulge if he’s a believer or not, but he likes the chatter the casts often cause. Although he laments a bit that at one time there were as many as 20 of the things on the wall, but as owners changed and moved, so, apparently, did the casts. Luckily, five remain.
“And a couple even look real,” Pinsker said.
There are two that stand out and have a look of authenticity about them (of course, just what authentic means when talking about Bigfoot is unclear). The two include the one taken at Tollgate 20 years ago, and another that long-time Bigfoot proponent and Washington State University physical anthropologist Grover Krantz cast. That one particularly is intriguing. But more on it later.
A couple of old codgers sat near the casts. They said they’ve lived “on the mountain” for many years.
“I’ve seen bear tracks that wide, but not that long. So what happened was the bear slipped in the mud,” one of the men said.
Oddly, even though each claimed to be a skeptic and said they had never seen anything like a Bigfoot lurking around the woods of the Blue Mountains, neither consented to have his name in the paper.
We’re they hiding something? Maybe they knew more than they let on. Would it be worth sticking around at night to find out?
Pinsker’s already seen the type who would do that. He moved here in August, from Folsom, Calif., after purchasing the Tollgate Resort. He’s already met two or three groups of people that have come through the region searching for Bigfoot. They carry cameras and other recording devices, some mounted on vehicles.
“They’re really into it,” Pinsker said.
A TRUE encounter?
An Eastern Oregon hunter – who agreed to talk as long as his identity was kept secret – revealed a tale of an encounter he and his three friends had in a canyon near the “Salmon Backs” or “breaks” of McKay Creek on the south side of Interstate 84 around the very top of Meacham.
The four men were in there early 20s. He said they all grew up around Pendleton and had been hunters and outdoorsmen since they were young. He said they went there to scout it for the upcoming deer season. He had hunted the area in the past and had always met with success.
They drove there with the plan to camp for about three days near the top of McKay Creek, but found heavy rains and runoff had eroded the road in some areas, including where they wanted to go.
So at about 9 a.m. they packed the camping gear, headed across the wash, humped it along the road for almost two miles and set up camp on a green, lush island about 30 feet by 30 feet in the middle of McKay Creek, which by now was running about knee deep.
“That way we had a good view of all the hills around us … and we were thinking we could see some deer or elk on the sides of the hills in the early morning or late evening.”
While setting up camp he scanned the surrounding canyon walls and saw a lone pine tree on the crest of a hill. He told his buddies he would like hike there to look for any deer or elk.
About noon they finished setting up camp and headed up the steep canyon to the tree.
“As we we’re working our way up we saw some deer, but not very many, not as many as we had in the past,” he said. “I thought it was odd – in the past it was nothing to see 10 or 12 deer jumping up out of the brush on the sides of those hills.”
Near the top he saw a cave about 100 yards away. They decided to investigate and were surprised.
“Right there at the mouth of the cave were an abundance of bones,” he said. “You could see big leg bones, rib cages, big pelvis bones like you would find in deer or elk.”
The men settled on a bear as the cause for the assortment of death, but because they hadn’t brought a flashlight no one was going in the cave.
The group arrived about 30 minutes later to the pine tree at the top of the hill. The hunter said there was nothing within 50 yards of the tree, which stood about 7 to 8 feet tall.
They looked the sight over for a bit but needed to get to camp before dark. On the way down the men talked about returning in the morning with a flashlight to venture into the cave.
“That cave seemed to capture the curiosity of all of us,” he said. “My friends were all active hunters and outdoorsmen and none of us had seen a cave like this.”
Then, about 9:15 p.m., he looked up at the pine tree.
“As we sat there talking … I glanced up there and saw what appeared to be another tree next to it. I tried to register what I was seeing, because I knew there was nothing next to that pine tree.”
Staff photo by Phil Wright / Photo illustration by Sofi Smith of the East Oregonian.
He asked his friends how many pines trees were there and they replied there was just the one.
“Then what is that next to it?” he asked them, because he could see daylight between the tree and a new, large silhouette that was as tall or taller than the tree. Then it moved from left to right across the horizon line.
“As we watched it, it turned and started coming down the side of the canyon in our direction.”
One of the men asked what it was.
“My reply to him was, ‘I don’t know and I’m not sticking around to find out.’ ”
He and the others grabbed whatever camping gear they could and started for the road.
But it was at the base of the canyon and in the same direction as whatever was coming down the hill.
Then the hunter said he heard it.
“As I started off the island, I could hear what almost sounded like a screaming noise – a high pitched scream.”
He was still 25 yards from the road, and maybe two miles from the vehicle. The scream made him pick up the pace.
“Flight or fight mode kicked in, and I took off at a dead run for the road,” he said.
But his sleeping bag was unrolled. It slipped through his arms and wrapped around his feet. He fell into the creek.
“My friends didn’t help,” he said, “but ran right over the top of me.”
He shed the sleeping bag and sprinted away.
“All that was running through my mind at this point was, ‘Please, God, don’t let it get me.’ Oh man, I was scared to death.”
He hit the road and turned left toward the vehicle and saw movement to the right. He looked, and about 20 feet away was the thing.
“It was coming down the side of the hill, and it was taking steps I can’t even reach in a stride. At that point I hit overdrive. I was screaming like a school girl. … And I go rushing past my friends. I blew right by them like they were standing still.”
But forgot there was a five-foot high embankment caused from when the river ran high.
“I ran smack into the embankment.”
When he hit it, he said he lost his air and that’s about when he felt his friends run up his back.
“And I could hear them arguing ‘Who’s got the keys,’ ” he said. “They were two for two running me over.”
The only time he chuckled telling the story.
He dug and clawed his way up the embankment and someone produced the keys. They threw themselves into the vehicle and one of them yanked on the headlights and saw nothing more than the outside.
The four decided to stay there and return to camp in the morning to retrieve items left behind.
“Well, one of my friends in the back seat, bless his heart, dumped all the beer in a sleeping bag and brought it with him.”
The hunter and a buddy in the front seat stayed awake, drank beer and grew some courage while the other two slept in the back.
“We sat in the car and drank too much beer and thought about it too long,” he said. “We went back up the road a way with a flashlight to check out what we might be able to see.”
It was eerie as soon as they stepped out.
“One of the things I remember about that was that is was dead silent. Not a frog, not a cricket, not a coyote howl. Nothing. … The only thing we heard was the creek running.”
They walked about 200 yards and spied a band of standing timber about 50 yards wide and 200-300 yards long with windfall inside.
So, of course, they entered it. As they approached the middle they heard branches breaking and twigs snapping. The sounds moved closer.
“I said, ‘We got to go.’ And at that moment I heard a blood-curdling scream that sounded so loud … I had never heard anything like it … It wasn’t a cougar scream, it was louder than a cougar or a bear or anything like that. It was the loudest thing I had ever heard.”
They turned to run through the timber and he watched his friend run into a tree and hit the ground.
“I was thinking, I wish I could help you. I just hollered at him ‘get up and come on.’ ”
They bumbled their way out and back to the vehicle, but it seemed the chase had stopped.
“He wanted to let us know he was there, but he wasn’t going to let us know what type of thing he was.”
They stayed in the vehicle the rest of the night and returned to camp at daylight. On the way they found logs 12-15 feet long that in the night had been placed near the road. They also saw foot prints in the soft dirt.
“Almost two of my feet would fit it, and was wide as two of my feet. And you could make out toes … Not real defined, but you could make them out. I was really starting to believe the concept that we had an encounter with sasquatch or Bigfoot or whatever it is.”
He said the camp had been ransacked – the tent was demolished, the camp stove was bent, lanterns were busted, clothes strewn about, his sleeping bag in the creek was torn apart and the ice chest was almost torn in half.
And all around the camp was brown hair, about 5-8 inches long.
“It was really course … like hide on deer or elk … but it was much longer.”
One friend had connections to an elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
“And he told us about a creature that lives in the Blue Mountains. … It can be aggressive but usually just runs people off. The creature is really territorial of the area.”
But could he corroborate the story?
“The guys I went up there with, it actually scared us so bad they won’t talk about it. For quite some time I didn’t either.”
He returned once to the area, but was too creeped out to stay long.
“I fully believe what we experienced that night and what the Indian elder told us about the creature in the mountain there, and from what I’ve seen on TV … I fully believe we had an encounter with the sasquatch. There’s no other explanation for it in my opinion.”
He never sold his story and he never felt the urge to track down what it was he had encountered that night.
“I don’t feel I have to prove to anybody what I saw. I know what I saw. … I’ve never been that scared in the mountains before from something else that was living there. Quite frankly, I don’t want to encounter it again.”
He said where this happened is now privately owned and access is restricted. And with no one else to back up the tale, it remains just another chapter in the Bigfoot saga.
But as he told his story, he seemed so earnest. The little details – how high the creek was, how long things took, the saved beer – have the feel of truth.
And then there is that footprint back there at the Tollgate resort. The one Krantz had cast.
If you go there, ask Pinsker if you can look closely at it. If you need, ask him if you can use a chair to stand on. Look around the big toe. That’s where you’ll see them.
Dermal ridges. The things that make for finger and toe prints.Phil Wright
East Oregonian
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Now this is skepticism (scepticism, for the English lot — show me a pool of cynics and I’ll show you a sceptic tank, I always say), at its fairest (in every sense of that word). An entertainting, balanced and evocative article. I was rapt reading the re-telling of the account… gave me a shudder or three. Kudos to Phil Wright!
Just my two cents.
It’s amazing how every encounter that involves someone with a firearm usually ends with the person running away in terror.
BF must be extremely intimidating (obvious) as to cause a guy with a gun to run. I would probably do the same as I would never even entertain shooting one.
Of course that is if BF exists at all.
I agree that the story feels very genuine. And, damn, what a great work of fiction if it’s not.
You know, if BF is ever conclusively determined NOT to exist (and therein is a big part of the problem) then we can only conclude that humans are routinely delusional.
Nice article. Thanks, Craig.
A cave of bones, some wild imaginations and a few brewskis can lead to some interesting adventures.
This makes for a good campfire tale, but nothing of substance.
Well, the article makes clear the fear that this event instilled in those present. It is evident in the description of the fright of their “escape” from the Bigfoot’s clutches, in how it scared them into not ever wanting to talk about it again, and in how he says he never wants to encounter it again. Now, what I find odd is how they could be that absolutely, morbidly terrified of this thing and yet go back to retrieve camping equipment. Not only that, but some were SLEEPING through the night as they stayed in order to collect said camping gear. Maybe I’m just a light sleeper, but if I had just encountered something that earth shatteringly scary, something so bad that I never wanted to talk about it again, I would not be sleeping in the back of a vehicle. I would not be sleeping for a week. I am pretty sure I would not have the presence of mind to stick around in my car, knowing that it was lurking out there, just to retrieve some sleeping bags. Now, I like camping and value my gear as much as the next guy, but in light of the fear this sighting so clearly generated, I feel it is odd.
Intersting story. I google earth’d the area and it looks like superb range habitat for grazing ungulates; deer and elk, cows and horses. Not enough details to locate the exact place but if it were that close to a washed-out road it could be in an area with high enough resolution to locate it. I recall working a wildfire back in the 80s not too far from here. Sure would be nice to return without a pulaski this time.
Every year I elk hunt only about 8-10 miles south of McKay Creek, assuming this is the same one near Pilot Rock.
In the mid 1990’s, we received a night-time visit from our big hairy friend here on the last night of our elk hunt. It was pretty exciting. We had pulled into camp after dark from another location where the elk had moved out of. It last snowed about 4 days before. The days were sunny and the nights freezing. It was about 3 degrees Farenheit that night. We hit the sack right away because the next day would be our last chance to hunt. The two of us were on opposite sides of my 16′ trailer. An hour or so later, I was awakened by something big walking into camp (on two legs) crunching the hard snow. Then he/she began kicking or hitting around an empty plastic 7 gallon gas container of mine. The container would hit a tree, he would walk over to it, and do it again.
My hunting partner was still asleep so I began whispering loudly and throwing small objects in his direction. I said to him “listen, there’s a sasquatch outside”. (I had already seen two bigfoot in my life by then, and knew right off what we were dealing with) He said something like “awe, that’s just a raccoon”. Of course he hadn’t quite woken up yet either. Very soon, he was awake and sitting up in his bunk. So we’re both now just listening to this thing outside. Soon I hear it move close to my window where my head was. Our food is set on two tables we put there in order to make room in the trailer after the move.
OK, keep in mind that it’s sub-freezing and pretty dark outside and inside as well, with no moon. So I get this bright idea, and I mean ‘bright’. I am going to get a good close look at him. So I grab my 1 million candle power spot light, kneel right up to the window with my face close to the glass, handgun next to me on my bunk. With one hand I pull back the curtains and immediately turn on the light. WHAM!! I’m completely blinded and fly backwards as the sudden brightness shocks my system. The glass was completely frosted due to the sub-freezing cold. I did not contemplate this possibility. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! Of course now I couldn’t see a damn thing for 5 minutes if I wanted.
While I am recovering, it had walked away probably because of the bright light. But then it comes back into camp and continues with the gas can. Now my hunting partner wants to go out and see him. I am very reluctant about doing so as I didn’t yet have the same appreciation for bf as I do now. But he wants to go out with MY spotlight and MY handgun, the only firearm in the trailer. The rifles are in the vehicles so as to not subject them to humidity changes. Well I’m not about to let go of the only light or weapon we have. He was dumb enough to not bring either of his into the trailer, he’ll have to live with that cause I’m not giving up control. I also was a little concerned that he would foolishly try to shoot it and knew what could happen then. I knew enough to know better.
But I eventually give in to go outside with him and have a look. All the while we are whispering and making very little noise (except for my flying backwards). So we are slowly getting dressed, but even our slight movements are creaking the trailer springs, especially in the cold. Just as we are about to go outside, this sas decides its time to leave and begins walking down the frozen abandoned logging road. But as he does, he is whistling this absolutely eerie whistle. I can’t duplicate this whistle if I tried. It could have been whistling a tune from his perspective as it kind of repeated itself. He just continued this until he was out of hearing range. It took awhile to get back to sleep and he never came back. In the morning we looked around for tracks but all we could see in the 3″ of absolutely frozen solid snow were very slight impressions.
I still hunt the area every year. Last year I found a small tree twist as though it may have been from an adolescent mimicking adult behavior. A few years ago on a late afternoon hunt at dusk, I heard what I thought was a bear only a hundred feet from me, digging up a stump. However I couldn’t see it due to the thickness of the brush. But as I began walking back to camp, I was soon being followed. I still don’t know if it was bear or bf, and my small light wasn’t powerful enough, but it was intriguing. Every year hunting this area my eyes are open.
Yeah, I believe the above account took place just as mine did here. For that matter, it could have been the same creature, even though there are probably many more in the region then we can imagine. No damn fool is going to be walking around in NE Oregon in some suit during hunting season either.
Thanks for sharing that Many Encounters. One of the best. I’m hella jealous.
Curious though. Have you ever read that long series of observations by a poster/researcher named Keith Foster a couple of years ago? His experiences and perspectives are ones I think you as an elk and deer hunter might find relevant and pertinent. I might have the link still. And on second thought maybe I should keep carrying the pulaski.
There’s no way to judge the veracity of the story based on the information we’re given. But I wanted to point out to “Rainsofwrath” that the men in the story were scouting for deer PRIOR to hunting season, and would not have been armed. And, in fact, a careful reading of the story reveals not a single mention of guns or rifles.
It sounds like a good story. And maybe it is just that. In any event, there are a couple of things that strike me as a bit off.
The first thing is obvious. The beer seems to be the prize. You are scared to death, but have the presence of mind to pick and carry a sleeping bag full of beer. Even a six pack is unwanted weight. So that would not be the first thing I thought of. And even if I happened to be carrying it at the time, I would drop any load to make my departure lighter and quicker.
The second thing that stands out is that he stated this:
He hit the road and turned left toward the vehicle and saw movement to the right. He looked, and about 20 feet away was the thing.
So a creature that he himself admits, whose step is greater than one of his strides, is only 20 feet away in pursuit and does not overtake him at some point. We have heard BF stories of them outrunning moving vehicles. Yet only 20 feet away and the creature fails to catch up with him or overtake him. Hmmmm. And the BF is coming downhill at this point too. Does anyone else find that odd because no one questioned that in their comments?
The third thing that I found a bit strange is that at the time of this story, all of the men were in their early twenties. The claim is that they were experienced outdoorsmen. How much experience can you have when you are in your early 20s? The driving age where most youth gain independence is 16, in most states. Maybe they went camping with their families and that accounts for some years of experience. But at best, children are learning at that age. So that gives them about 4 years of experience. I would not call that a veteran. And proof of that is a veteran would have brought along a flashlight. They did not. They had to obtain one the next day. So their use of the term experienced is misleading to me. A flashlight or latern is the first thing I think of to bring on a camping trip, along with the essential tent and sleeping bag.
So I see several “holes” in this account. Some did mention how could one sleep after being scared to death and I agree. The adrenaline rush would have kept me awake for several hours. But maybe the beer they remembered to bring along while being pursued and scared to death, helped them to get to sleep.
But then of course, they were so frightened years after the experience that they did not talk about it, but were able the very next day after the experience, to get up and go back and search for camping gear. Really?
Perhaps they saw something. Perhaps it was a BF. But the story makes me a bit skeptical even if this event occurred.
Photoexpert, Your points of skepticism, are unfounded. Similar to a person who lives in denial, and/or works for the National Security Administration and this is their job to sew seeds of doubt.
Kool story. MultipleEncounters, you’re not BSing are you? Have you really seen them 3 times? Man you are lucky. Wish I could see one just once. How close was your closest encounter with one? Guess I need to get in the bush.
I might grab my beer, cuz I’d need one after an event like this, but there is no way I’d be able to go to sleep. Specially not in the car after the thing just chased me down a hill side. I wouldn’t able to sleep for a week.
This is a definite maybe. Only if the raconteur’s companions can be interviewed, separately, their stories cross-checked for inconsistencies, and then re-interviewed, can this be “firmed up” enough to be impressive.
Also, this guy’s reputation in the community should be checked.
Also–how about a little expedition back to that cave?
But the footprint helps.
Dogu4,
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Keith Foster but I’ll look into it.
DARHOP, it’s no BS. They are inexplicably attracted to me I suppose. I’ve visually seen 3 and have had non-visual encounters with a few others over the years. Two of my visual encounters were at about an equal distance of 22′. One while on foot face-to-face while deer hunting 3 yrs ago. The other was in front of my truck windshield while I’m braking to a halt to avoid hitting it in Yosemite National Park some 28 yrs ago.
Now the bug has forever got me, so hopefully I will be fortunate enough to have another face to face so I can do what is necessary to either bridge the gap or document, whichever works.
eventually someone needs to take one for the team and get eaten by a bigfoot (only works if you’re with a group of friends). The media attention alone would almost assure the bigfoot’s capture.
Imagine it: round the clock coverage with Larry King, Nancy Grace, A.C.
We’ve always assumed we needed a bigfoot corpse to prove it’s real when it turns out all we ever needed was a dead human.
hey craig this is a very interesting informative new article about sasquatch. i agree with everyone above replys as well. thanks bill green 🙂
Raisonssofwrath, you have no idea just how ‘intimidating’ it can be being so close to one of these creatures. As I’ve mentioned many times elsewhere, even though I had my 30-30 rifle pointed right at the last one, that rifle felt about 6″ long. Had he approached me any closer in an aggressive manner, and I shot, I am convinced that I would NOT be here today.
PhotoExpert, if they wanted to actually catch us, it would be no problem I guarantee it. But they don’t. Maybe its a game with them? Maybe they chuckle afterwards at our uncontrolled hysterical reactions? Maybe they are even attempting to make friendly contact with us, but of course our reaction is one of fear and flight.
When you’re in the midst of such an event, you don’t always think clearly. But the way it is told, does not state that they tried to collect the beer either. He said one of his friends packed it in a sleeping bag, but that may have simply been left in the vehicle, where they ended up drinking it later.
The one they seen to the right 20′ away could have actually been a second sas. I’ll have to re-read the account again later today when I have more time.
These are truly fascinating creatures and I can only hope that I am meant to see another one some day. For all the non-believers, if I could I would stake everything I own on the fact that these are an absolutely real species, I would.
MultipleEncounters,
Again, let me say you are one lucky person. Thanks for not taking that shot. Just think what a chimpanzee can do to a man. Imagine what a wounded BF would do to a guy. Specially if he was trying to be nice and ya shot him anyway. Nothing like a wounded BF I bet. And thanks for sharing a bit of your encounters. Must of been, man I can’t even find a word for it. Anyway, thanks.